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H. SCHNEIDER. BREEGH MECHANISM FOR RAPID FIRE GUNS.

No. 562,666. Patented June 23, 1896;

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H. SCHNEIDER. BREEOH MECHANISM FOR RAPID FIRE GUNS. No. 562,666.

Patented June 23, 1896.

ANaREw acRMAM. PHmO-Lm10 WASHINGTOILDC UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.-

HENRI SCHNEIDER, OF CREUZOT, FRANCE.

BREECH MECHANISM FOR RAPID-FIRE G UNS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 562,666, dated. June 23, 1896.

Application filed March 9, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI SCHNEIDER, of Creuzot, (Saone-et-L0ire,) France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech Mechanism for Rapid Fire Guns, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates more particulary to breech mechanisms for rapid-fire guns of large caliber, using screw-closures with shutters and hingejoint.

It has as its objects, first, to increase the rapidity of manipulation in opening and closing the breech; second, to reduce the number of pieces composing the mechanism, and, third, to permit rapid taking apart of the mechanism without the aid of tools.

The mechanism consists of only a very small number of simple pieces, strong and well protected, which can be put in place and withdrawn by hand with the greatest facility and which present only small projections beyond the rear end of the gun. Firing is effected by a percussion apparatus with automatic cocking, all the pieces of this apparatus being concealed within and protected by the shutter. The hinge-axis may be inditferently at the right or left of the gun.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the rear portion of a rapid-fire cannon of large caliber provided with breech mechanism in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a plan showing the breech mechanism in closed and open positions, the shutter in the open position being indicated in dotted lines and the maneuvering-handle on the closed shutter being similarly indicated in the position it assumes after having been turned to unscrew the breechblock ready to swing open the shutter. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view, in longitudinal vertical section, as in Fig. 1, of the shutter and the parts mounted thereon. Fig. 6 is a view corresponding with a part of Fig. 5, showing the hammer or firing-pin in the cooked position. Fig. '7 is a detail view, partly in section, across the axis of the hammer or firing-pin, showing the scar and the adjoining parts of Serial No. 582,454. (No model.)

the breech-block. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the breech-blockturning device with the maneuvering-handle thereon. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively an elevation looking lengthwise of the cannon and a plan of the shellextractor. Fig. 11 is a detail view, in horizontal section, showing (in plan) the bolt for automatically locking and unlocking the breech-block-turning device. Figs. 12- and 13 are respectively a plan and a front end View of the hammer or firing-pin. Figs. 14 and 15 are detail views, in longitudinal and cross section,respectively,of a portion of the breech-block adjoining the firing-pin; and Fig. 16 is a side view of the cam for operatin g the shell-extractor.

The mechanism thus shown consists of the screw breech-block A, the shutter B, the ma neuvering-handle O, and breech-block-turning device D, the bolt E for said device D with the bolt-spring, the hammer or firingpin F with its point 0, spring N, and stop M for the rear end of the spring N, the sear G and its spring P, the trigger H, the extractorfork I, its shaft J, and the extractor-cam K.

The screw breeclnblock A is supported by the shutter 13, to which it is connected by a screw-coupling, the rear end of the block screwing into a socket in the shutter (see Figs. 1 and 3) and the threads being of the same pitch as those in the breech of the cannon. The breech-block is of the mutilatedscrew type and the threads may be divided into sections of two, three, four, or more. I have shown it divided into fours, so that a one-eighth turn of the block will serve to lock or unlock the same. Rigidly attached to the shutters B is an arm B, which extends to the side of the gun, where it is pivotally attached to the breech by means of the hinge-pin Q. The threads in the breech, as well as those on the block, are slightly cut away, Fig. 4, thus enabling the shutter and block to be readily turned to one side as soon as the threads on the block are disengaged from those in the gun.

For the purpose of giving the necessary rotary motions to the breech-block to lock and unlock the same I provide a rod D, having screw-threads a, engaging similar screwthreads in the rear of the shutter. A portion of the rod D is formed into an annular toothed rack to, and the position of the rod D in the shutter B is such that the rack or moves tangentially or nearly so to a cogged or toothed are 1", formed on the rear of the breech-block. By grasping the handle 0 of the rod D and turning it the rack a may be moved up or down and the breech-block locked or unlocked, as desired. At the instant when the breech-block is turned to the unlocked position, the projecting arm 0 on the handle 0 engages a lug cl, Figs. 2 and 4, on the shutter 13, and the motion of the rack in a downward direction is arrested and any further pull on the handle 0 will swing the shutter to the open position. (Shown in dotted lines, Fig. at.) Any motion of the rod D while the breechblock is thus withdrawn from the gun would turn the block so that the threads on the block would not register with the mutilated sections. in the breech of the gun, and hence the block could not be reinserted to close the breech. I therefore provide a locking device which automatically locks the rod D against movement when the shutter is turned away from the breech and automatically releases it wvhen the shutter is closed against the breech. For this purpose I mount a springpressed bolt E in the shutter B in such a position that when the shutter is closed against the breech of the gun the end of the bolt is flush with the face of the shutter and its spring is compressed. In this position the tail of the bolt lies across the path of the rod D, which rod exactly registers with a slightly-0h long opening provided for it in the tail of the bolt. This opening has an inwardly and forwardly projecting lug e, and on the rod D is formed an engaging notch e, which registers with the lug e when the arm 0 of the handle 0 engages the lug or stop d and the block is unlocked from the breech and ready to be swung open. As the shutter B moves away from the breech of the gun the bolt E, is pressed outward by its spring and the lug e engages the notch 6, thus securely locking the rod D. Upon closing the shutter the bolt E impinges against the rear face of the breech and is pressed inward against its spring, thereby withdrawing the lug e from the notch e, and the bolt. D is free to turn to lock the breech-block in the gun.

The shell-extractor I is a sortof fork, Figs. 9 and 10, whose two branches form claws that enter in front of the projecting rim at the rear end of the cartridge-shell, Figs. 1 and 2,

at the height of the cannons axis. The brisk oscillation of this fork loosens and then expels the empty shell. It is mounted on a rock-shaft J, provided with a lever-arm carrying a projection t', which is acted upon at,

the proper moment by the incline f of a cam K, fastened by a screw 0 on the pin of the hinge.

The hammer or firing-pin F, placed centrally in the breech-block, is provided with two, helicoidal inclines F which are arranged symmetrically and which bear against two corresponding inclines on the breech-block. The hammer-spring N is placedbetween a shoulder on the hammer (formed by the point 0) and the stop M, secured to the breechblock. This stop is formed by a sleeve and is detachably secured to the breech-block by a bayonet or similar joint, pins on the outside of the sleeve engaging grooves in the breechbloek. Splines on the inner periphery of the sleeve M engage longitudinal grooves in the firing-pin, thereby restraining the pin against turning movement relatively to the sleeve M,

' While permitting free longitudinal movement therein. If desired, these parts may be reversed, the splines being placed on the firingpin and the grooves in the sleeve M. A key R is passed through an oblong slot in the firing-pin F and also through suitable holes in the projecting boss T on the rear face of the shutter, thereby locking the firing-pin against turning movement, but permitting free longitudinal movement to the extent of the slot.

The scar G, provided with a slot with ends rounded, is placed in a mortise in the breechblock and is subjected to the action of the spring P. It has a projection whose end lies opposite the trigger II. The hammer passes through the slot before mentioned in the scar G, and the trigger II is pivoted in a mortise in the shutter.

To open the breech, the handle 0 is turned from right to left until it refuses to move farther, (its motion being arrested by striking the stop d, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.) This rot tion depresses the device D and by this operation of the rack a unscrews the block A. By the rotation of the block A the inclines F on the hammer F are acted upon by the corresponding inclines on the breechblock A, and the hammer is thus automatically forced back against the pressure of its spring N until it is engaged by the sear G, which holds it cocked, Fig. 6. At the same moment that the block becomes unscrewed the rotation of the handle 0 is arrested by the stop d on the shutter B, and the force applied to said handle acts to swing open the shutter B (the breech-block of course moving with it) until the 'corner 6 strikes the gun and stops the motion when the breech is completely open, the breech-block and shutter block has nearly cleared the gun, the incline f of the cam K acts upon projection t of the lever-arm of the rock-shaft J and gives the latter a brisk oscillation, which is imparted to the shell-extracting fork I and which first loosens and then expels the empty shell.

To close the breech, after introducing a fresh cartridge, it is onlynecessary to turn the handle 0 from left to right until the handle carries the shutter and breech-block with it, because the device D is locked by the bolt E; but when the shutter strikes the cannon the bolt E is forced back and releasesthe device D, so that the handle 0 is free to rotate said device, which it accordingly does, with the effect of raising the device D and (through the rack a) turning the breechblock A in the direction to screw it into the breech.

There is a special advantage in placing the trigger H on the shutter and the scar on the breech-block, in that the projecting end of the sear may thus be brought opposite the trigger by the screwing of the block into the breech, so that itwould be impossible to fire the gun until the breech-block is secured.

,To dismount the mechanism, without the use of tools, the procedure may be as follows:

First. To take out the firing apparatus, the breech being closed, the key R is removed. The hammer F is then turned to the right through an arc of forty-five degrees, so as to release the bayonet-joint between the block A and the sleeve M, (the latter turning with the hammer F,) and the hammer-F, sleeve M, and spring N on them pulled directly out.

Second. To dismount the shell-extractor, the breech is fully opened, the holding-screw 0 loosened, the hinge-pin raised, the cam K removed, and the rock-shaft J, with its fork I and lever-arm, taken out.

Third. To dismount the shutter and breechblock, the bolt E is pressed in, the device D is screwed out, the bolt E and its spring are removed from their recess, the block A is unscrewed from the shutter B, (to wit, by five and a half turns to the right,) the sear G and its springP drop out when the block A is unscrewed, the hinge-pin is taken out, and the trigger H is detached therefrom.

The breech mechanism is set up again in the reverse order; that is to say, the end of the shutter-arm is placed between the ears of the hinge and secured by the hinge-pin, the spring of bolt E and the bolt E itself are inserted in their recess in the shutter B, the trigger H is put in place, the spring P and sear G are inserted in the breech-block, the breech-block is screwed into its socket in the shutter, the sear G being held in by the operators finger while this is done, the device D is inserted and its rack a engaged with the cogs of the breech-block, (the bolt E being pushed in with the finger,) the extractor-fork I, with its rock-shaft J, is inserted in its place in the cannon, the cam K is placed on the hinge-pin and secured by the screw 0, the breech is closed, the hammer F with its spring N and sleeve M are inserted, (the sleeve Gr being raised,) the sleeve M locked to the breech-block by rotating the hammer F and sleeve M in the breech-block, and the key R is inserted. A mark may be made on the shutter B to indicate the position to which the hammer is to beturnedwhen it is inserted into the breech-block.

The removal and replacement of the firing apparatus may be eifected while the breech is open. In this case as before to unlock the sleeve M the hammer F is turned to the right through an-angle of forty-five degrees before pulling itout; and to restore it the hammer is" turned to the left, through the same angle as at the time'of its introduction; but this latter movement cooks the hammer (when the breech-block isout): and requires, therefore, a certain effort which is not required when the replacement is effected with the breech closed.

The objects of the invention and what is considered the best mode of carrying the same into effect having been now described, it only remains to say that the arrangement of screwthreads on the breech-block and in the cannonbore, the amplitude and direction of the r0- tation of the maneuvering-handle, the forms and dimensions of the various organs, as also the materials of which they are composed, and other details can be varied without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In heavy ordnance having the mutilatedscrew system of fermeture, a shutter hinged to the breech, a breech-block connected to said shutter so as to turn therein, a cogged are on the rear of the breech-block, and a screw-rod on the shutter having rack-teeth which engage the cogged are on the block, and an operating-handle on said rod, substantially as described.

2. In breech-loading ordnance having the mutilated-screw system of fermeture, a shutter hinged to the breech, a breech-block connected to the shutter so as to turn therein, a cogged are on the rear of the block and a screw-rod on the shutter having an annular toothed rack engaging the toothed are on the breech-block, substantially as described.

3. In heavy ordnance, a mutilated-screw breech-block, a shutter hinged to the breech and connected to the block by screw-threads, a toothed are on the breech-block, a rack on the shutter engaging the toothed are on the block and a screw-thread engagement between the shutter and the stem of the rack, whereby the turning of said stem operates the rack to lock and unlock the breech-block, substantially as described.

at. In breech-loading ordnance, a shutter hinged to the breech, a revoluble breech-block connected to the shutter, a toothed arc on the breech-block, a screw-rod on the shutter having a rack which engages said toothed arc to lock and unlock the breech-block, and an automatic locking device which looks said screwrod as the shutter leaves the breech and 1111- looks the rod as the shutter is closed against the breech, substantially as described.

5. In breech mechanism for ordnance a shutter hinged to the breech, a block connected to the shutter, a toothed are on the block, a screw-rod on the shutter having a rack which engages the toothed arc in the breech-block to move the block, a crank-arm on the rod to operate the same, a stop on the shutter to limit the action of said handle in the unlocking movement and a stop on the gun to limit the action of the handle in the locking movement, substantially as de- 3 scribed.

6. The combination of the shutter, the

screw breech -block, the hammer provided with cocking-inclines, the key for holding the hammer from rotation, the stop rotatable with the hammer when the said key is removed and provided with means for securing it in the breech-block by a rotatory movement, the hammer-spring and the sear, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRI SCHNEIDER.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES LAUREAU, HIPPOLYTE OLIVIER. 

